The Fly by Nights
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: <html><head></head>There's only so much a father can do.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**I.**- Prologue.

He looked after him. The facts were straight, the line was drawn and the future was now on the horizon. As he shakily stood up on his wet red legs, the fox knew that from now on he would have to be the one to make it by himself – and possibly with someone to take care of. There she was. The one who had given him hope to carry on, and to care again. Without her, he would be nothing right now. The vixen had made him see himself.

"Todd!" Vixie cried out.

His breath came out unevenly as his heart still hammered from the force of the plunge he had endured. Immediately, Vixie ran out to him. Todd watched between damp fur as she treaded the shallow pool hurriedly and braced himself as her head came to rest under his chin. Todd felt some of the pain fade, feeling her warm, dry body pressed under his own.

"Oh, heavens, Todd." She whispered shakily.

"It's all right, Vixie." He assured her. "It's over."

When Todd looked at her again he was surprised to see tears settling in her brown eyes.

"Why – what's wrong?" a grin crossed his muzzle. "We're alive! No… need to cry."

Vixie half-laughed, an abrupt breath of air shooting out of her mouth. "Todd…"

"Vixie." He slyly caught her under the chin with the tip of his nose.

"You've done it, Todd." She smiled widely and placed her head back under his. "This is why we're here, so we won't be hunted down but you did it. You've broken down a big barrier."

The fox stood over her, trying to assess what she meant and he realized after a moment or so what Vixie was saying – and the way she nuzzled him now. It was not out of pity that she was with him, or because he was something to laugh at; it was because Todd in one year's time had done something he doubted anyone else had – he had broken down a wall that had been long established before he had been born; A thick wall that existed between prey and predator for as long as time had. This was truly Todd's hero's embrace.

…

Spring passed with summer on the horizon. Todd and Vixie spent every moment together and had never been happier. The two went cavorting through the forest, laying out all day in wide, open meadows and living their lives blissfully until one day Todd returned to the burrow they shared to find Vixie waiting patiently for him outside the grass-lined opening.

"Todd." She greeted him softly.

"What… is it Vixie?" He asked unsurely.

"Look." Her tail lifted up to reveal a row of still oddly preserved white daisies.

"Vixie!" Todd exclaimed, his mouth opening in shock.

"And," She stepped over to him and placed something behind his ear.

A spotted, furling wild tiger lily poked from beside it.

"Seven," Vixie told him with an excited grin, "We're having seven!"

Todd laughed and nuzzled his wife happily – the tiger lily stayed perfectly in its place.

…


	2. Chapter 2

**I. - **Late summer; Early August…

The morning blossomed over the trees from which Todd stood behind. He watched light spread in gentle arcs through the branches, gliding down in a bright haze to engulf all of the farmland spread before him. The place where he sat was where he and his best friend had played long ago, it was where he and Vixie sometimes visited. The fox sighed deeply.

"You know, Todd honey," a voice spoke from behind, "this is the trail your mother took when she escaped from hunters with you," He bowed his head, "and on to the fencepost."

"She must have been very brave," Todd said quietly, "To do what she did."

"She was baby," Big Mama alighted to the ground and took him under her wing.

"What if _I _can't be a good parent, Big Mama? I barely protected Vixie when…" his voice trailed as his hazel eyes fell to the sunlit land below and he smiled in bittersweet memory.

"Well, Todd, I was wrong about one thing." She said in her normal cheery pitch.

He turned to the owl quizzically.

"Sometimes friendships _can _last forever."

As they turned to leave, the door to the wooden cabin down below opened and two hound dogs exited the building. One was a resigned-looking honey-brown canine with a few big patches of brownish-black down his back, the other a proud-looking cream-colored hound with a round underbelly. The male turned to her and breathed heavily as she went by him.

…

'We don't hunt anymore_,' _Copper thought to himself, 'so what else can a hound dog do?'

…

The path leading up to where the fox's borough was had formed a sort of dirt trail as an eager Todd paced up and down it; their curious onlookers did nothing to diminish any of the anxiety he felt. For all the fox cared, there might as well have been a whole gathering of woodland creatures of every different species the way they all snooped. Todd sent the animals a stiff glare. 'What is this? Subjects gathering for the crowning of some prince?'

"So, is it true?" a possum asked him. Todd couldn't get out a quick enough reply.

He angled his body sideways as a curious porcupine also came closer to hear his answer.

"I'm… sure I don't know what you're talking about miss."

"You're the fox who saved a hunter and hound dog?" The spiked-back creature prodded.

"Well, I um, don't really…" Todd looked around frantically at the advancing clusters.

"All right! All right!" Big Mama suddenly interceded herself, "Back up, move along…"

The fox sent her a grateful look as she swept the now disgruntled audience away.

"Todd!" Vixie's voice rang from the hollowed out earth.

He started to go in.

"Oh, no no no." the owl waved him back as well, "You wait here, dear."

As she disappeared into the open mouth of the borough, Todd noticed some sort of weird movement out in the distance. He squinted his eyes, looking hard and intently into bushes that ran the length of the small field. The fox was about to dismiss this when a creature at least a foot taller then Todd stepped out of the thick greenery and that's when he noticed something that really bothered him - all of the animals around the area had vanished now.

"No." He whispered frightfully. _"No." _his body instinctively crouched in defense.

The creature was brown and gnarled-looking, it's eyes roamed the ground restlessly with the intent to scavenge. Todd tried not to make eye-contact with it as he backed slowly to the edge of the borough, keeping his breathing even as he attempted to get to his family and alert Vixie and Big Mama of the impending danger. That's when a fox kit squealed.

"No!" Todd yelled. "Vixie! Bi-_no!"_

The wolfed creature launched itself at him and he found himself tussling with the toothed animal. This wasn't like the bear, this creature was more of Todd's size and able to get a better hold on the fox. It's muzzle moved in a frenzy of motions, trying to lock a hold on him. He tried hooking his paws between the gaps in its teeth and prying its jaw away from his white chest. But the creature only bore down harder on him before it threw his arms to the side and flew at him with its opening teeth onto his rump as he tried to scamper away.

Todd howled in pain.

From the sides of his now blurring vision he saw animals cowering as they watched this savage animal take a huge bite from the helpless fox. He bared his own teeth at them at their refusal to assist, but a surge of energy allowed him to roll around within the wolfed creature's hold and start pushing up at the furred jowls to try and free his painful behind.

An unfamiliar screech of fury rose from behind him and he turned to see a flurry of brown feathers dive into his attacker's face. Todd moved away quickly as his defender managed to block the rabid animal long enough for him to hurry into the borough and see Vixie.

"Honey," He stopped short at what he saw.

Vixie had a stricken look on her face, seven bundles of red fur were enclosed between her head and her tail as she stared up into his eyes with something he recognized - fear. Todd started to rush to her and she moved with him to the front of the borough to stand at his side. A pang of pride hit his chest as the two flanked the sides of the entrance, waiting.

"Big Mama," the vixen spoke in a hush, "where is she?"

"I don't know," Todd matched her pitch, "Whatever it was she-."

There was a loud, grizzly screech and a blur of brown went by them from outside. They ducked down and pressed their ears to their heads, watching and anticipating the creature to come at them. Todd squinted hard through the shadows that surrounded them and saw something that made his jaw drop - three feathers were floating purposely to the ground.

"No," He mouthed in horror.

"Through the back, Todd." Vixie said to him urgently, "And," her voice caught.

"What Vixie?" Todd questioned at his normal volume.

She shuddered noisily. "Just… take our daughter. I've this boy… out of the five."

"Vixie!.?" He turned on her incredulously. "The other-."

A snarl erupted from the ground above and they turned abruptly to see that a fury of fangs and fur was pressing down at them. The two foxes flew at the animal and caught it about the ears. Taking chunks around it's temples out, Todd kept forcing himself in front of his mate and children. He wrapped his body around its neck as it continued to holler in pain.

There was a sudden presence again and something dug into the creature's backside. Both Todd and Big Mama managed to wrangle the animal outside of the borough and bide the vixen enough time to gather as many of her children as she could and take exit the back.

**II.**

Todd groaned, struggling to get a hold on what was going on around him. He breathed in deeply and started feeling around but when he opened his eyes nothing but dark splotches of color staining the grass met his eyes. His eyes perked up instantly and he headed right over to the opening of the borough. Everything had fallen around the tunneled opening of the once well-constructed home. Todd paused when he saw that the daises that had been placed around the entrance were crushed even as they had only begun wilting, and except for the tiger lily Vixie had given him, everything else was destroyed. Even, he saw as he stepped inside, those who had mattered most to him. Todd backpedaled at the motionless figures at the back of the borough. 'It…' he shook his head in absolute disbelief. 'They-.'

A small moan came from nowhere.

"Vi-Vixie?" Todd managed to speak clumsily. "Vixie? Big Mama?" he shivered.

The moan sounded again.

Todd stepped over slowly to where a pile of straw with the tiger lily lying on it lay.

"Vixie?" He said with nervous hope. "Honey…"

Everything else around him was quiet. Nothing else moved or made noise except for him and whatever was under the strands of yellow. Todd, crestfallen now, began to pick about the straw until a pair of deep brown eyes peered right up into his. He stepped back, almost unwilling to believe anyone except himself had survived but the creature mewled for him.

"I'm not sure… I can't be left alone with you. I'm not ready to be… your…"

The small fox kit squeezed its eyes shut and mewled louder.

Todd shuddered at the thought of rearing his child alone.

"Vixie!.?" He called out, his voice strained with emotion. "Big Mama!.? Help!"

The sides of his eyes turned moist and he was panting when he turned over to the fox kit that was slowly approaching him. Todd sighed shakily and hovered over his daughter in an attempt to calm himself. When he looked up to the graying sky, however, he knew he had to find a safer place - somewhere that was well away from here. He only knew one…

…

As the storm clouds gathered, it was a relief to Todd when the sight of the familiar stump came into view and the small opening just above it's base signaled the perfecting shelter for the oddly compliant fox kit. When he looked down at her, she stared with some sort of fixation up at him. Todd could feel his heart warming towards the infant as he slid the red lump of fur into the opening and sat down with his eyes still on her. She blinked at Todd.

"I guess this is it." He tried mustering a grin.

His daughter curled up and slept through the rain that pelted her father.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

**I.**

The uninhabited meadow that was father and daughter's own was layered in sunshine as they both ran out into the dark green grasses of early fall. While animals around them had begun the process of collecting food for a later time, two foxes lived in a world all their own as they tussled lightly around together. The father tried catching his fleeing offspring in his arms and all the while she just giggled as she evaded all forms of capture with great ease. Their playing ended at the front of their home as Todd caught her in a quick session of rolls.

Trixie struggled in vain against his arms. "Come on, now," he encouraged. "Settle down."

"OK! OK!" she wrestled free and onto a gathering of rocks. "I give, you win."

Todd smiled down at the impish fox kit and felt a pang of emotion at the resemblance she held to her mother. With a deep breath, the fox father leapt onto the main flat stone where other smaller ones piled around it and stretched out his lean, red body. Trixie did this in a similar way and smiled cheekily up at her father. Together they both settled down now for a mid-day nap. When the kit had closed her eyes, Todd opened one of his and watched...:

"Trixie."

"Yes, Papa?"

"You know you look even more like your mother when you're falling asleep."

Trixie sighed.

Todd took this as a comfort to her and pulled out the tiger lily wedged between the stone they lay on and the others that bordered it's sides. As his daughter seemed to sink into a noiseless sleep, Todd slid the lily he had recently picked behind her ear and turned around.

…

Her father's back relaxed against Trixie's with a slight, shuddering breath.

She perked her ears up and glanced over her shoulder as he tried his best to fall asleep. It took a while for her father to relax completely, as it did every time they settled down. The sky overhead was full of birds flying across the sky in families; half-grown chicks were at the moment learning the ways of aviation. Trixie contoured her back against her father's.

"Papa?"

"Hmm?"

"Can foxes fly?"

He chuckled softly and a few moments later Trixie knew he had drifted off into a peaceful slumber. The fox kit slowly rose to her feet and stepped out a little bit. With a small gulp, Trixie moved around Todd's head and went to see that all traces of nervousness or worry were absent from his pointed face. She sat down and traced her sleeping father with calm dark eyes, enjoying this time that he was without stress. As he began murmuring in a tone of uncertainty, Trixie gently took a hold of Todd's tail in her small arms and came closer with its bushiness gathered up in her face to place it close to his chest. He clutched at it tightly-:

"Vixie…"

The fox kit lowered her ears to her head and patted up to one of her father's.

"I love you, Papa." she whispered.

A smile appeared on Todd's muzzle. "I love you too."

With a start Trixie took the tiger lily, looped it around her tail and started off on her own.

'I have to do everything,' she thought, ho-hum, 'especially getting enough food.'

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	4. Chapter 4

**I.**

She stood over the two pups scarfing down their gravyed lumps of meat in peace. The cream-colored girl pup moved her rump up in silent preparation when she heard the patter of paws move across the inside of the wooden cabin. Taking a deep gulp, the hound puppy peered over the window seal and saw that her mother was watching with mounting anticipation as the suds grew in what Daisy knew was to be her bath; It was only fit for a girl.

That was, at least, the way her mother saw it.

Ducking down before the elder dog's eyes could appraise her daughter's and therefore have a claim to her, Daisy turned her attention over to her two brothers feeding below. The pair seemed utterly unaware of the pup being above them. Moving her bottom from side-to-side once more, Daisy took a leap off of the old crusty chest she stood on and dove downwards.

"Ha-HA!"

The two boy pups' eyes opened knowingly and they raised the large dish of food in their mouths as she plummeted in helplessly into brown, gooey slop. With smug looks, they casually dumped their older sister off to the left side.

"Well," Daisy thumped some gravy out of her ears, "Guess y'all listened."

"You aren't never gonna trick 'ol Roof here, Dais." Roger told her with a grin.

"How're you ever gonna track down them coyotes," Roofus eyed Daisy with skepticism, "if ya can't even sneak up on the likes of us," he grinned as well.

"Ah, you just caught on too quick for your own good," She said as she gave herself a shake, "but you couldn't bag them varmits if y'all had eight noses."

"Too bad she can't even find them with one," Roger whispered.

They blew up in laugther.

"Think that's funny, do ya?" Daisy held up her snout haughtily, "Thinkin' that I couldn't bag me one if I wanted ta? Well," she started away. "Think again!"

Realization dawned on Roger's yellow-brown face. "Daisy, where you goin'?"

"Told ya, Roge. I'm gonna bag me a coyot and put an' end to'em."

"How're you gonna find'em, kid?" Roofus chided her.

"Out yonder," She called, putting her brown nose to the ground.

"Ah biscuits, Roof, if anything happens to her-,"

"She'll be fine," the pup interjected, "There 'aint no sightins' out this way."

"Sure?" Worry lined the other pup's already wrinkled face.

"Sure as sure can be." Roofus sniffed indifferently. "Well, I mean..."

"What?" Roger prodded him.

His brother's face suddenly reflected his own.

"I hope." he admitted and turned back to their food.

Roger watched after Daisy with a look of fear.

**II.**

A few leaves fell and were swirling around listlessly to the ground as a very hungry Trixie poked her way through a small twisted thicket; to her father of four months a quick visit to the fawn-bearing doe was enough to get by. She knew it wasn't his fault, how could her papa be expected to know all of this?

"Hmm," She searched around the new opening in the bushes and treelines.

Animals scurried about as Trixie let herself get lost in the crowds and go in a sort of traffic through the winding, sectioned - off greenery of the forest. So far her few travels alone had led the fox kit to discover things like boroughs for different kinds of animals, her own private little log and even a tiny pond.

A small rabbit suddenly approached her.

Looking up, there were several more gathered around their mother.

"So..." Trixie grinned slightly, "Who're you? Bumper or Thumper?"

The rabbit mother wrinkled her pink nose in discontentment. Feeling nervous and afraid that the rabbit would start wondering where her mother was, the fox kit stuck her nose up in the air and turned away from the foursome. All of the animals passed her by without concern, and soon Trixie noticed that her brief acquiantances had done the same thing. She lowered her ears and did the very best she could not to be disappointed. Sighing, Trixie started away.

...

A great, long-grassed field opened up for Daisy as she scampered through it with a newfound sense of freedom. With birds circling the open air and many friendly noises filling her senses, the hound puppy went romping around the parts of the grass that only had a faint scent of what she assumed to be the coyotes touching their wind-wafting blades. She drew closer now to random downed areas in the grass where something had to have been rolling about for whatever reason. Excitedly, Daisy began searching and smelling it all out.

"Gonna find me a coyot," she said sneakily, "Prove them boys wrong!"

The pup moved to where a pile of stones were. As she came behind one of them, her tail stuck straight up in the air. An animal rested on top of them all with it's side moving up and down in deep, calm breaths. Daisy wrinkled her nose and stuck it to the ground again as she advanced around the pile. The creature made a low groan as it turned in the direction of stones that Daisy was hiding behind. She crept along on her belly and then up a shelf of rocks.

"Well, whatever this thing is," Daisy pulled back, "It sure 'aint no coyot."

Determination glinted in her dark green eyes and she turned just in time to catch a stronger, more gamey scent. With a daring smile, the pup started off from the meadow and into the more thicker parts of the forest in her search.

The figure on the rocks perked it's ears up at the sound.

...

Berries hung in inviting, plump red clusters. Trixie, however, still sniffed them so as to avoid eating any green or rotten ones. The sun was starting slowly to drift away from the center of the sky. She made some careful steps so as to avoid rocks or pointed branches as she began plucking off the big berries one-by-one, and gathering them in a neat pile to keep track of. It was easy.

"Let's see," she kept inventory quietly, "One, two, three... uh, four."

After taking her collection and storing them in a leaf, Trixie folded the green end over and dragged it along to the middle part of the berry bushes where she could lay and eat in peace. Smiling to herself, the fox kit picked a single berry in between her tiny paws and tossed it up into the air before eating it.

The juices slid out of the sides of Trixie's mouth and she rubbed them with a little frustration. Light shifted between the entanglement, casting creases of yellow over the fox like the stripes of something wild and fierce. Trixie shook her head at that notion; her father worried over the simplest things! What in this whole forest was there to be worried about? She rolled over to one side and tugged the leaf over closer so that she could make it a travelling pouch.

Pausing thoughtfully for a moment, Trixie then raised it up and bound into a tight knot around her tail. The tiger lily hung off a little to the side and Trixie made sure to re-tie it to the pouch before she headed off to her next locale.

...

The scent grew stronger and more distinct into that of a lived-in odor as the young hound pup grew more anxious with the hits she made with her nose piling into one enormous smell. She finally made her way out into a field with much shorter grass. A small, furry creature sat around a pond, turning about and staring intently at her reflection. Daisy cocked her head in curiosity; the hope that this was the coyote she sought had disappeared but this animal...

She couldn't understand why the small red creature studied herself like this. A fallen tree branch not far from whatever it was caught Daisy's attention. It was just what she needed as she gave a devilish smile and started climbing up the long branch. Her weight shifted and bounced as she made her way to the top. As Daisy neared a beehive, however, she sidestepped a few places.

"Huh?" The animal's ears perked up and she looked around for the noise.

"Mmm." Daisy had to hold her breath and seal her lips shut.

Once the moment passed, her query went right back to self-examination. As the hound pup just reached the top of the branch a snap caused the animal to jerk it's head up in fear of discovery and make Daisy stumble. The creature below managed to make it's eyes huge just in time as Daisy hurtled down on top of her and they both toppled into the water together in one messy heap.

"Ah!" the animal yelped. "I can't... ugh, swim!"

Daisy managed to whip her arms around the broken water surface. "I can!"

"Then..." She sank under the water and then bobbed back up. "HELP ME!"

"Oh... heh, yeah. I'm a 'comin!"

The hound puppy disappeared under as well and many tiny bubbles popped around the circles of ripples that formed in light blue rings. Several moments passed and the two emerged in one big gulp of breath. While Daisy tried to guide herself and the mysterious animal to the little grassy shore, her recent victim had other ideas as she tried to yank herself away from the clingy hold.

"I got'cha! I got'cha!"

"No!" the animal ripped away from the off-yellow-colored arm and glared.

"Yup," Daisy grinned at her, exposing crooked little fangs, "I saved ya."

"That's great," She shook her back paw off in the pup's face. "I'm leaving."

"B-but wait! I just saved your life... can't I at least catch your name?"

The animal sent her an ungrateful look but sighed slightly, "I'm Trixie."

"You a coyote?"

"What!" Trixie shook her head incredulously. "No! I'm a fox."

"And I'm..." Daisy lowered herself into a ready pounce position. "A hound."

"Neat." the fox kit sniffed and turned around to leave.

"You 'aint gonna leave me here, are ya?"

Trixie chuckled a little, "That's the plan, Dan."

"Don't know no Dans... but, uh," the pup came up beside her. "How d'ya find your way out here by yourself?" she asked curiously. "Can't track, can you?"

"What?"

"With my smeller," Daisy gestured to her brown nose excitedly, "See?"

Trixie moaned. "I thought you meant smell. And whatever, I've gotta go."

"You mean..." Her voice grew low and sad, "You're gonna leave me alone?"

"Yep!" She giggled out loud. "Bye!"

But as the fox kit started to leave she saw that the hound stayed behind.

"What? You can't really be serious."

Her look didn't change.

"Seriously... you can't really want my company." Trixie lowered her ears.

The pup smiled at her hopefully. "Looks like you could use some too."

At this statement Trixie turned away quickly, embarrassed.

"Nothin' wrong with needin' someone."

She still kept her back turned.

"Well... maybe. What did you say your name was?"

The cheerful - looking hound pup came around, panting hard, "D-Aisy Mae!"

"Daisy?" Trixie offered a small smile.

"Yep!" she flung herself at her, "I can tell, Trix, we're gonna be friends!"

"Uh, sure."

"Forever!"

"Well..."

"And ever..."

"All right," Trixie muttered, "You can get off me now!"

Daisy rolled off of her and noticed her new friend was sopping wet.

A bigger problem, however, rose from behind them both.

To be continued...

**A/N:** All right, Todd and Copper's children meeting was kind of corny. But I had already thought it out. Anyway, I plan to make a story out of all of this...

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	5. Chapter 5

**I.**

Before anything more could be said by the young girls, Daisy gasped and tackled Trixie into the pond of water as a swarm of bees rose like a dark mist from what was now revealed to be a downed hive. The fox protested loudly but as the two of them swirled through the water's pull, she spotted the cause of alarm waiting for her and her new friend on the surface. She turned to Daisy as she sensed her lungs begin to pinch from the strain of not breathing. The hound pup turned to a gathering of reeds at the pond's end and motioned for Trixie to swim right in that direction. Both girls paddled through the depths and they both resurfaced safely.

"Raspberries!" Trixie sucked air into her lungs and grabbed on to a reed stalk.

Daisy chuckled softly. "Guess we were no match for'em, huh?"

The fox kit glared at her. "This is all your fault, you know."

"What?"

"You heard me," She grumbled. "If you hadn't stalked me out we'd be safe."

"I wasn't stalkin' you out," Daisy eyed what the fox kit grasped next to her chest and grinned a little, then turned honest, "I was out lookin' for a creature s' fierce it'd make them bees look mighty civilized. A creature s'mean it'll leave ya a fine -,"

"OK! OK!" Trixie conceded. "Great. Fine. I believe you. Now how do we escape?"

A hollowed out stump beside the pup caught their attention.

She grinned wider now at the fox kit. "Like this."

"Huh?"

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Daisy howled.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Trixie screamed.

...

Copper rushed through the forest in search of his daughter - after having received an outraged scolding from his mate and having his sons blamed, the only thing he could do was to track down his daughter and hope that the recent coyote reports didn't prove to be true. The two-year-old hound felt his eyes wet at that thought.

...

Todd's acute hearing picked up the sounds of a hound dog's call. He bounded all through the trees that stood in his way, fighting and moving at a breakneck pace to get to his daughter - his only known child. The last thing he had of Vixie and as well as the only living descendent of his mother aside from him. 'Be okay, please!'

...

As they travelled together down the oddly cleared out forest track, Trixie started to learn more about the newcomer - and it was far more than she bargined for. The hound puppy jabbered on forever about what she referred to as 'coyots' and had Trixie ever heard of these creatures? It finally got to the point where she couldn't take it anymore. "All right!" Trixie yelped in frustration. "I've never heard of a, uh..."

"Coyot." Daisy said smugly.

The fox kit rolled her brown eyes to the sky.

"Um... yeah well, thanks for the bee rescue back there." She tried calming down.

"See, my mama doesn't like me tryin' ta track'em down," Daisy admitted to her as they both entered a sort of half-field opening, kicking up at a bushel of partly gone dandelions as she did, "But I'm a hound dog. That's what we're made to do. See?"

"Well," Trixie glanced down at her reddish-brown feet, sighing, "At least you know what you're suppose to do. My mother's never been around to explain anything."

"You 'aint got no mama?"

Her eyes raised to meet Daisy's. "I..."

"Well, shucks kid! Why don't you make up what foxes are suppose to do!'?"

"You mean... just make the rules up myself?"

"Yeah! Exactly!" Daisy waddled around her to a small outcropping on a hill. "Here, take me for ezampull! Hound dogs can track..." she took a big leap, "And roll too!"

Trixie was in disbelief as the pup started paddling around in a hole of mud and she found out quickly that it wasn't so easy dodging a glop of the brown mush as well. Daisy grinned broadly up at her as she started rolling around happily in the center.

"Well!" The fox kit turned her nose up and bounded up to a gathering of flowers.

"Well what?" She threw another glop of mud at her and watched as she ducked.

"Foxes love flowers."

"Ta pick?"

"No," Trixie said tersely and stood up on her hind legs to pull it in. "To smell."

Daisy cocked her head. "Does it smell?"

"No."

The hound pup smirked. "Promise ya Trix, it's best jest ta leave the smells ta me."

"So... you mentioned the mother thing." Trixie came closer. "What's yours like?"

Daisy shrugged and said vaguely. "We don't much get along, that's all."

"And your papa?" She pressed gently.

"My pop and me love each other real well... huh, I thought you were uppity."

"What?" Trixie drew back with a wrinkled muzzle as Daisy toddled towards her.

"I mean, I thought you thought you were too good for the likes of me."

The fox kit frowned. "I never said that."

"S'kay," Daisy scratched at the top of her brown ear, "Mos folks think that way."

"Well," Trixie smiled at her, "I don't think that way."

"Thanks, Trix. And I don't think you're really uppity neither!"

She frowned at the nickname.

"OK, I-,"

A deep rumble suddenly caught the girls' attention.

Trixie ducked right into a wide-eyed Daisy's chest.

"Are those the bees?"

"Naw, too loud." she grinned nervously. "Can't be a coyot neither. They-they..."

"DAISY!" Trixie screamed as a grizzled, svelte grey-brown creature lunged at them.

They scattered to opposite sides as the animal sized the two up.

"Trix." The puppy's voice was hoarse.

"Daisy?" Trixie whimpered frightenedly.

Tears brimmed in her green eyes. "I'm sorry, Trix."

To be continued...

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	6. Chapter 6

**I.**

The gnarled dog creature turned it's crooked head to the side and followed the fox intently as she scrambled away with fear brimming inside her eyes. One look to see what her expert coyote friend defender would do to stop the horrid thing bearing down on her revealed that the pup was just as stunned and powerless as she was. Trixie went down into a small crouch and showed her teeth to try and put up her own defense - this held little result. "Daisy," she whispered frightfully, "Daisy...?"

When Trixie turned her head the pup was up against the curb of a tree trunk, ducking her head.

'What? Why won't she help me!.?'

The coyote was almost on top of her and ready to pounce, growling softly, when a rush of red from out of nowhere caused the coyote to shift it's attention over. "Run!" a female voice ordered, "Run!"

Trixie took this opportunity to race over to the trembling puppy.

"S-Sorry…" Daisy got out.

"It's okay," the fox kit assured her, placing herself over the other child to try and soothe her.

In the next second the coyote had turned around to them and was flying at the pair again. The pup let out a loud whine as Trixie grimaced her muzzle and latched herself onto the middle of the large coyote's ear in defense. Daisy howled partially to applaud, partially to alert. But no help appeared as the animal threw the tiny jaw clamped fox around before finally flinging her off to the side. In a violent spill of tumbles, Trixie finally landed motionlessly onto her side. The pup gasped as the kit rose up on one foot, a trickle of blood forming, and watched as the coyote lumbered just over her.

"Trix."

With misty eyes, Trixie closed them and lowered her head to brace for the final wrath of brutality.

...

A fierce sound suddenly ripped out from another animal's throat and the fox kit looked up just as something that looked like a bigger version of Daisy had lunged itself right at the coyote. While in their more even fight, the children were able to turn and look over at one another. Daisy's assured jade eyes had crumbled into confusion and then into crestfallen realization: Trixie shook her head.

"It's not your fault."

But the pup's eyes answered otherwise.

Daisy then appraised the knot of fur taken out just above where another bite was on the coyote.

"You got the ear." she said.

"Huh?"

The pup smiled down at her. "You're somethin' fierce, kid."

Trixie smiled back.

They looked up again as a loud, high-pitched whine caught their attention.

"Pop!" Daisy hollered as her father was tossed mercilessly against the small field's other side.

The coyote turned it's sights on the little puppy that remained unscathed, bared it's crooked teeth and charged right at her. Trixie laid still and sent her friend a pained look. Daisy shook her small head wildly in disbelief and reeled back at her attacker when an adult fox suddenly inserted itself between her and the ravage animal. It wasn't a moment or two later when the large hound was on his feet again and standing directly between the coyote and the slowly rising Trixie. She flattened her eyes to her scalp as the hound turned to look down at her with big, gentle chocolate hued ones.

"Huh?" Trixie whispered to herself at his startling course of action.

He blinked at her and smiled.

...

Todd bypassed glancing at the hound dog - who he refused to acknowledge right then as knowing - and met his daughter's flabbergasted eyes. Seeing her normal reaction to this new encounter he'd hoped she wouldn't show recognition to gave him the strength to further approach the presence he never wanted to encounter himself again. That unknowing of what had happened to his loved ones months before - to Vixie, to Big Mama and the rest of their kits - didn't stop him from defending now.

Another presence suddenly appeared at his side as he backed the coyote up.

Warily, but mutually, the fox and the hound both looked inward at the space between them.

This wasn't suppose to happen… it had all ended early in spring and this was early fall.

And yet…

"Copper." The fox acknowledged as the coyote looked between the adult animals in confusion.

"Todd," the hound accosted.

They both turned as one to look at their daughters huddled together, turned back to one another…:

And smiled.

To be continued...

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	7. Chapter 7

**I.**

Copper ran over to his master's side while Todd automatically went to loop his red body around Trixie and Daisy. The hunter brought his gun up, blew the smoke billowing away from the barrel's point and stomped over in his heavy boots to grasp the gray head of the coyote. His dark brown eyes grazed it's body as Copper inhaled the scent of it so that he would have a good memory of it incase there was a next time. When the two looked up, however, they were surprised to his Daisy's mother bearing her teeth at the father fox as he held both children tightly to his side. When Amos stood up straight he turned to look.

Todd wrinkled his muzzle back and exposed his teeth - not far from the pup's neck.

Copper lowered his head, eyes closed in thought, before opening them and heading over towards the threesome. He and his old rival/friend looked at each other briefly before the hound bent down for Daisy. Todd, however, latched his jaws around the suddenly scared pup. Copper growled at him but the fox only continued to cradle her in his curving teeth.

Finally the hound stifled a groan and went over to clasp the scuff of Trixie's neck.

"Daddy?" She asked in a frightened whisper.

Todd watched her sadly as Copper's own eyes grew emotional when he walked off to the side and placed her down. The hunter and adult female dog looked at one another in total beguilement. Once Todd saw that Trixie was safe, he snugly gripped the hound pup with the entirety of his mouth and carried her past her anxiously glowering mother and over to Amos. The man scratched his head at what was happening but stooped for Daisy anyway.

Copper stood loyally with the fox kit beside him for Todd to retrieve her. The little kit, in a silent fit of confusion, swiped a clawed paw up at the hound's muzzle when he lowered his snout again towards her. He suppressed a howl as Todd swiftly gathered her up in his teeth and took off. When Amos went for the gun that he had set aside so that he could get the coyote up by the ankle and carry, Copper moved to position his body over it instantly.

The three - Copper, his daughter and master - turned to see that Todd and Daisy's mother were leering dangerously at each other. When the fox father tried to meet his old friend's eyes, the hound father let his own drift away; this was how it was and they knew it. Daisy and Trixie held each other's gazes for a few moments before the fox kit waved good-bye.

The pup rubbed at her brown nose with a white paw and raised her other paw to wave.

"Bye," Trixie mouthed.

Daisy rubbed hard at her green eyes. "B-bye," she mouthed back; and then smiled.

At that, the fox kit smiled too.

A pup's longing howl could be heard from behind the two foxes as they left.

This was soon accompanied by a louder, longer and lonelier howl.

'Copper,' Todd thought as he picked up speed and dashed through the forest.

...

Trixie looked up with a guilty expression as her father wove his way around the groves of trees, and headed up the grassy path to one of his favorite spots. Todd didn't say anything as he went through some straggly brush and reappeared with her at the top of a hill knoll.

He placed her on the stump with a split opening running down the middle, and gave her a speculative expression. The fox kit flattened her ears to her head and looked down, "Papa I-," when she looked up he had stooped down and now had a red-purple-colored collar in his teeth. Trixie cringed away as he started to slip the fastened loop over her head. "No!"

"All right…" Todd smiled slightly from his grit fangs. "Then you suggest where."

Trixie glanced back at her tail and then spun around excitedly before holding it up to let him slip it on. Her father marveled at the way it loosely fit her while she made a frown at the way it hung. "Papa, I-I like it; it's great. B-But-I," He frowned at all of her stuttering.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know where you're going next time."

She dripped her head. "I'm sorry."

"You mean the world to me," Todd said as she nuzzled the side of her face. "Remember that, Trixie." In a quick leap, the father fox was right beside her and smiling reassuringly.

Lifting her ears and head a little, the fox daughter smiled back.

Together they settled down to look upon twilight hitting the two homes situated around a rickety old fence and burly fir trees. Todd's eyes grew heavy with sleep as his mind grew full of memories. When he looked down, however, he saw that Trixie was shaking a little possibly from their recent ordeal. What were these things? The fox wondered disgustedly.

These things that might have taken Vixie and Big Mama's lives?

To keep his own troubled heart at bay, he nudged Trixie's tail up against her side with his nose. Seeing her nestle into it's softness made his insides melt and his own worries leave.

...

Before Trixie fell asleep every night she would always look up to the stars to see a silvery outline in the shape of a fox. Her father had told her once that his mother had died saving him and, without him knowing, she secretly believed it was her. Or, perhaps, her mother.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~  
><strong><br>**


	8. Chapter 8

**I.**

Pines and maples dappled in brown, gold and orange intertwined along a natural - made path through the mysteriously quiet forest. The two foxes meandered down it without any hurry or need, they were just searching out possible new boroughs. Even though most of the things in Trixie's world had changed, raspberries still grew for them to eat and water was still always present to drink; although it was much more cool and crisp to the fox kit.

"Keep up, honey." Todd told her casually. His pace was a lot more calm then she recalled but Trixie didn't pay any mind to it. The leaves falling in swirling patterns were what had her attention, she watched as a copper one drifted down to the tip of her small sable nose.

"Papa!" the little fox hurried along. "Why are all the leaves falling like this!.?"

"Well, the world is going to sleep," He explained. "Let's just keep looking for boroughs."

Trixie became immersed in the ancient maples as her father continued on ahead. The soft steps he took and the light crunch of the autumn earth added to her growing sense of awe and wonder at the lazily falling leaves around her. She moved with the slow rhythm they seemed to make, dancing in a sort of backwards motion before pitching forward when an unusually big leaf fell before her path. Trixie tilted her head sideways and poked a paw at it. This gradually led the fox to raise her brown eyes up the length of a leaf-strewn stump.

"What the…?" Her words trailed off as she examined the leaves carefully.

They couldn't have just fallen there collectedly - no, these leaves had been placed there.

When Trixie centered her eyes just right, a pair of medium - yellow orbs leered out at her from beneath the pile. She yelped and leapt back as a brown-gray creature came at her. In a quick tumbling session, Trixie quickly gained the upper hand and tackled the somewhat smaller creature down beneath her. When she got a better look at her stalker she frowned.

"You're… a fox?"

He smiled cleverly. "I'm a gray fox."

"Well," Trixie openly showed her unhappiness with his carefree attitude. "I'm a red fox."

The kit started to bounce around. "I'm Peter! Or Pete," he paused. "One or the other…"

She sighed under her breath, smiling in more tolerance. "I'm Trixie."

"Wow, you're kind of stuffy; you looking for somewhere to hunt? Cause I know a place."

"I don't hunt." Trixie stated plainly.  
>Peter scrutinized her more carefully. "OK, then how do you eat? Winter's coming soon."<p>

"Uh, winter?"

"Yeah," He continued to scamper around her freely. "That's when all the food leaves."

"But," Trixie turned scared, watching him with wide eyes, "What about all the berries?"

"I don't know." he paused and groomed his arm. "There aren't any berry patches here in the forest, Trixie." Peter's dark brown eyes rose to meet hers. "You said you can't hunt?"

"It's not that I can't, it's just that me and my dad don't believe in hunting." She insisted.

Laugh lines crinkled down along his lower lids where white patches marked his cheeks.

Despite herself, Trixie found herself smiling genuinely.

"Peter, where are you hiding? This isn't funny young man!" A haggard voice called out.

"Trixie, honey, you were supposed to be following me." Todd called from the other way.

The two kits looked at one another as their parents appeared almost simultaneously.

"There you-," they paused instantly and looked up in unison, finishing together. "Are."

Todd flinched once before blinking a few times sporadically. "Hi." he offered briskly.

The small gray fox mother folded her ears back and smiled shyly. "Hello."

"I… was just looking for my daughter." He mentioned, nodding down at Trixie.

"Well, what a coincidence. I was too! Except… I was looking for my son, Peter."

They both laughed together and when their eyes met again they were officially smitten.

"We were just searching for a berry patch."

"No we weren't Papa!"

"You won't find any here, but there are some in other places…"

"… Oh, well, I wasn't sure. This is my first winter in the forest."

"It's mine too!" Peter piped up.

The three foxes turned to look at him quizzically.

"Well, it's kind of my first everything." He admitted meekly.

"You know, if you wanted us to show you some good hunting ground…?"

"Oh, we don't hunt. Just forage." Todd picked up her trailed sentence quickly.

"But you like berries?" A small glint focused in the gray mother fox's dark eyes.

"Why, yes," the father fox smiled, allured. "We do! Like I said, we were hunting…"

"For berries." She finished for him.

"Yes." Todd breathed deeply.

"Well, what a coincidence," she giggled. "We were hunting for berries too."

"Do you think it would make more sense for us to hunt… together?" He prompted.

"It's a bit of a walk," his potential paramour cautioned.

"A little exercise never hurt anyone."

She giggled again. "I'm Patricia."

"Todd."

They kept direct eye contact as they lowered down, took their bewildered brood by their neck scuffs and started out down along the path. When the single parents were a decent distance away, a red furred figure appeared on a wide opening in the thicket. It's brown eyes watched as the father fox walked away with his kit dangling beside his white chest.

ooo

"Good luck, Todd." what was revealed to be a female fox said; her child came up to her.

"I thought we were going to meet them.." He said.

"Later on." Vixie promised him and turned away. "Let's go. We need to find shelter."

Unfortunately, there would not be a new year for Big Mama or the rest of her lost kits.

...

Snow blanketed the entire front yard as Daisy watched with her large brown nose stuck up against the glass, her white paws rested on a pillowed chest and her shoulders sagged from not being allowed outside. "Pop," She asked over her shoulder, "When'll it stop?"

"When will it stop." Daisy's mother corrected, sitting up straight as Amos's new fiancée' brushed out her short coat. The female hound turned in direction of her brothers and saw that they were laying about lazily, not in the least bit anxious or restless. It didn't take but one time for her male master to open the door before Daisy hopped down and bolted out.

She was aware of the shouts and protests made behind her, but that did not deter her at all as she romped happily through the falling spray of snow speckles. And also Daisy did not realize that someone had joined her; someone who rolled around in the deep white beside her and caught the tiny flakes on their tongue with her; all she had to do was turn to look.

But Daisy didn't feel the need to.

"Thanks Pop."

Copper chuckled, laying a few feet from his daughter in the onset of his second winter.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	9. Chapter 9

**I. **

It was a beautiful spring day as a young vixen sat with her back to the tall forest trees, in a way she felt like she was an image of someone else, staring at a lovely female fox in the unfrozen pond. Trixie smiled as she realized that that someone was probably her mother.

"Vanity's the name of the game," the fox chuckled to herself.

The bushes behind her rustled and made her ears prick up.

"Dai…" She started to say but stopped. In a way she was relieved, but in a stronger way she felt disappointed. Maybe she'd never meet her old friend again. "Hmm," she pouted.

"Hello." Someone said shyly.

Trixie turned to see that Pete the gray fox stood behind her with a flower in his mouth.

"Peter." She smiled.

"I know how you lost your tiger lily," He indicated her collared but flowerless tail with his nose. "So I thought it was only appropriate…" Trixie touched his head with her chin.

"I love you too, Peter."

The fox laughed and tried to reach up and kiss her.

"Later…" She backed away politely. "Just let me think some more about it."

"It's late spring, Trixie; why not now?"

"Why ever? I'm perfectly happy with myself." She said loftily.

Pete sighed. "I wish you weren't so conceited sometimes."

"What?" Trixie huffed in outrage.

"You're so conceited sometimes," Her friend told her. "Sometimes I wish you would have enough humility to admit that you need me in your life. I need you, by the way."

The fox looked down at the ground in resolve. "I don't need anyone."

Pete splashed the pond water her way and before the two knew it they were play fighting. Eventually they would end up going down a little flowing creek before they came to rest atop an old log. Peter would offer her his pink flower and she would accept. But for the time being the two childhood friends played together; their chance to fall in love at hand.

**II. **

A Wanted poster – **Coyote, reward, Dead or Dead** – with an address was hammered on a tree. Copper watched as his owner gruffly examined the crude drawing of a wild animal and muttered that a monkey couldn't have drawn as well as he. According to people who lived in the area, a coyot was terrorizing them and killing off their pets and farm animals.

"Damn things, I thought I got rid of the one who was causing us trouble."

Amos looked down at his hound dog morsoely and lumbered away, his leg was still bad.

Copper knew that next to that Wanted poster was a flier for dogs who could track down the troublesome creature. Though the hound himself never bothered with hunting much anymore, he knew that his children would want to join in. Worst yet, hunters were going to trap and set free different animals – giving the dogs their odors to track. Somehow the hound knew that Todd was going to be involved with this, and their daughters could very well possibly meet again. Copper rolled his brown eyes; their meeting was too inevitable.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	10. Chapter 10

**I.**

The strange contraption carrying a passed-out Trixie came to a firm halt. Inside the silver bars that imprisoned her, the vixen stirred and perked her ears up immediately. Her father had told her of the dangers of human traps and now she was astonished to see his words come to life. The winter cold feel of the human trap against her backside, animals which humans made and controlled. A loud whine sounded and the slam of an object made her jump. Breathing fast and thinking faster, Trixie smelled the front of the trap. The winter hide had a tongue that fastened it's mouth shut and she nosed it open with a hard push.

"Sorry guys," she lamented to the other trapped animals, "I don't have time to…" their whines and cries caught her in a stranglehold of guilt but before Trixie could act, stones crunching underneath hard feet made her pause. "If I free you," the fox turned to look a twitchy raccoon in the eye, "you have to free the others while I create a diversion, kay?"

It nodded.

When the poor man unlatched the lock on the truck's backdoor, fur and fangs flew all over the place. Trixie slipped away undetected. Her paws lightly treaded the gravel as though this was a normal thing, the fox looked around for her father and Peter. Surely with Todd's knowledge of the human world the two had escaped. She was starting to grow a bit worried when suddenly the sight of a hound dog made her stop. The hunter was only visible by his pants leg and boot, but the papa dog from her childhood stood looking across the way at her with wide eyes. Trixie turned tail and ran from Copper.

"Wait, wait!" He called out to her.

She didn't wait and she didn't stop. Trixie barreled through the forest at full speed. It couldn't be possible, it just could not be so! The fox felt tears fill her eyes at what had possibly happened to her family. Finally she slowed, taking a few moments to try and allow her heart to stop racing so fast. Her cheeks became damp as she panted heavily. Trixie looked over her shoulder and let her ears droop. She was alone in a part of the forest she had never been. The vixen pointed her nose down and started dejectedly on.

Trixie couldn't go back, wherever her father and Peter were…

"HA-whoo!" The sound of a hound pierced the silent forest. Birds took flight and this caused the fox to run headlong into the woods again. Several seconds into this blurs of pursuing animals appeared at the side of her eyes. This only caused Trixie to speed up.

She didn't know how much longer she could keep up running when suddenly a pair of jaws snapped at her heels. Trixie gave a little shriek and turned back to look. A young hound was baring it's teeth at her, another one wasn't far behind on it's right side. The two were trying to steer the fox into a section of woods where they could finish her. It was this sickening conclusion that caused Trixie to bare her teeth in aggression. Taking the offensive, the vixen lured the two hounds to a pile of nearby logs. She scaled up one in particular that lay slanted against another. The lead hound dug his claws into the bark as it tried viciously to get at her. Trixie went to the end of the log and hopped around. She was waiting for the right moment as the dog slowly prowled up the fallen tree, situated with all her limbs spread out. It came closer… closer… then suddenly the log rose. Trixie kept her weight centered and balanced out. The hound was left stupefied as she veered the log over to the end of a small brook. Leaping from her place at the end, Trixie stopped at the lower base of the pile to listen as both dog and log went splashing down. She was about to turn around to face down the other when a white hound with brown spots came nose-to-nose with her. Trixie gasped and scampered off instead. The hound raised it's head to call out:

"Wait, come back!"

Little did the fox know, the second hound that had chased her was assisting it's leader.

This was a new one entirely.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~


End file.
